‘One may have a passion for the unattainable.’
‘But you do attain it. At least, you appear to attain it.’
‘The perfect Augustan? No! I’m afraid it’s at most a balance of opposing forces ... The river’s filling up again.’
‘Lots of people come out after supper.’
‘Yes—well, bless their hearts, why shouldn’t they? You’re not feeling cold?’
‘Not the least bit.’
That was the second time within five minutes that he had warned her off his private ground. His mood had changed since the early hours of the afternoon and all his defences were up once more. She could not again disregard the ‘No Thoroughfare’ sign; so she left it to him to start a fresh subject.
He did so, courteously enough, by asking how the new novel was getting on.
‘It’s gone sticky.’
‘What happened to it?’
This involved a
